Fanal

• Outdoors
• From 2
• Children free
• Just turn up

Flat open pasture at a thousand metres, scattered with twisted centuries-old til trees, where children wander between the trunks instead of walking a path.

There is no trail to follow and no drop to worry about - the ground is grass and dirt, level enough for a toddler and rough enough that a pushchair is more trouble than it is worth. There is also nothing else at all: no toilets, no shop, no shelter, and the access road across the Paul da Serra is narrow and unpaved in stretches. Fog closes in within minutes at this height, which makes the photographs and makes it easy to lose sight of a small child.

Worth knowing: Take everything you need with you, including food and warm layers, and check the state of the dirt sections of the road if it has rained in the last few days.

Opening hours

The operator publishes no opening hours. Phone before you drive.

Prices

Free, and there is nothing on site to spend money on.

Season

Open all year. The unpaved access road is worst in the wet months, roughly February to May, and fog is possible on any day.

Getting there

Prices and opening times change without notice, and on this island they change often. Everything here carries the date it was checked in our research notes; if a place has moved or closed, tell us and we will fix it.